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Hearing Professionals
Medical Treatments and Hearing/Balance Issues
Hearing Professionals Inc.
. http://www.hearing-professionals.com/

Medical Treatments and Hearing/Balance Issues

Perhaps you've been diagnosed with cancer and you've taken the recommended course of chemotherapy. Maybe you had a serious infection that required intravenous antibiotics. But, were you aware of the damage to your hearing and balance?

Cancer patients are often aware of the side effects of chemotherapy and radiation, including nausea, fatigue and hair loss. But, what millions of cancer patients and survivors are unaware of is that the therapeutic medications, such as those used to fight cancer, damage the inner ear (where your hearing and balance organs reside).

Medications that harm the ear are called “ototoxic” and can result in permanent or temporary auditory (hearing) and/or vestibular (balance) dysfunction.

There are more than 200 known ototoxic medications, both prescription and over-the-counter, on the market today. These are medications used to treat serious bacterial infections, cancer, heart disease, renal failure, and other potentially life-threatening diseases.

One of the most common side effects of ototoxicity is hearing loss and will vary depending on the type of drug, dosage, length of usage, susceptibility and previous hearing. Specific high frequency auditory monitoring would inform physicians of early effects of ototoxicity allowing a possible change in the patient's treatment.

A patient on ototoxic medication also may have symptoms of tinnitus (ringing in the ear), aural fullness, distorted hearing, auditory hallucinations/phantom sounds, and hyperacusis (a reduced tolerance for everyday sounds) signaling that the medication is doing some damage to the inner ear.

Furthermore, once these patients have been exposed to ototoxic drugs, they are more susceptible to noise-induced hearing loss.

Vestibular side effects may include dizziness, vertigo, irregular eye movement or bouncing vision, and loss of balance. The increased damage to the balance system also puts one at an increased risk of falling, which could cause other health complications.

When you're facing cancer treatment, hearing loss is the last thing on your mind. However, it is important that audiological monitoring be completed throughout the treatment regimen. It is recommended that audiological evaluations be completed before treatment begins, before each scheduled course of medication, and 6-8 weeks after the final treatment.

Early identification of ototoxicity provides physicians the opportunity to adjust the therapeutic treatment to minimize or prevent hearing loss or balance dysfunction, depending on a patient's overall treatment picture. Identification and monitoring also provides audiologists the opportunity to provide appropriate rehabilitation during and after treatment.

If you are experiencing any of the aforementioned side effects, contact your local audiologist and/or your doctor to further discuss your symptoms.

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